Yes, it's the Most Magical Place on Earth any time of year, but there's just something extra magical about visiting Walt Disney World during the holidays. All of the theme parks, resort hotels and Disney Springs transform into a winter wonderland. From special event parties to Santa sightings, let's share our favorite reasons why we love celebrating the holiday season at Disney World.
Our Favorite Reasons to Visit Disney World During the Holidays
1. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party
It's THE event of the season — attending Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is one of our absolute favorite holiday traditions. This year, the party kicks off Nov. 8 and runs on select nights through Dec. 20, 2024. Transformed into a winter wonderland, Main Street, U.S.A. is decked out with Mickey wreaths, garland, toy soldier statues and the giant Christmas tree. During the party, it even snows (Florida's version, aka snoap)!
Party guests enjoy special entertainment, special character greetings, free cookies and holiday beverages along with exclusive offerings for purchase, ride overlays and more. For all the merry details, hop over to our Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party guide. And don't froget — you can get your party tickets at a discount through Undercover Tourist!
2. Limited-time entertainment during the week of Christmas and New Year's
Did you know that if you visit the week of Christmas, you may be gifted some extra pixie dust? While it's one of the busiest weeks of the year (so you'll want to do your research and come prepared for holiday crowds!), regular daytime guests are usually treated to Christmas entertainment exclusive to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade runs during the day, and Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks takes over for Happily Ever After during this busy week.
On Dec. 30 and 31, Magic Kingdom runs the Fantasy in the Sky fireworks show in celebration of New Year's. Over at EPCOT, you can count down to the new year with dance parties and a Cheers to the New Year: A Sparkling Celebration fireworks display.
3. Disney Jollywood Nights
Back again for its second year at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney Jollywood Nights embraces the glitz and glitter of the holiday season and Hollywood glamour. In 2024, the separately ticketed special event takes place on select nights from Nov. 9 to Dec. 21. We love that the event is expanding with a brand-new ice skating show, Glisten!, as well as bringing back Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, Disney Holidays in Hollywood and the Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along.
Plus, you can hang out with more than 20 characters, enjoy special treats, take advantage of short ride wait times and more. Be sure to check out our Jollywood Nights guide for more details, and save some green with discount party tickets.
4. EPCOT Festival of the Holidays
The holiday season brings everyone together, no matter the celebration — and that’s what we love most about the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. It pays tribute to traditions from all over the world with holiday storytellers, holiday kitchens and the Candlelight Processional featuring celebrity narrators. There’s festive fun for everyone in the family, including a holiday cookie stroll, glimmering greenhouses inside Living with the Land and Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt. Best of all, it’s included with general admission!
5. Merry Menagerie
While the holidays at Animal Kingdom are a little more understated, it's still toadally worth a visit to see the Merry Menagerie. Discovery Island comes to life with these artisan-sculpted puppets of winter animals including reindeer, penguins, polar bears and more. During sets throughout the day, the puppets and accompanying musicians interact with guests. We could spend all day just watching them!
6. Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll
If you need to go last-minute gift shopping or want to indulge in a special holiday meal, look no further than Disney Springs. Disney World’s shopping, dining and entertainment district spreads yuletide cheer with live performers, a talking Christmas tree and festive flavors. But our favorite holiday hoppening at Disney Springs is the annual Christmas Tree Stroll. Tad and Lily always have fun hunting down the themed Disney trees for a prize. The themed trees have unique decorations and ornaments representing Disney movies or attractions, such as “Encanto” and Haunted Mansion. We're excited to see which trees debut this year — we're placing bets on an "Inside Out 2" tree!
7. Santa sightings
As part of his annual trip around the globe, Santa Claus makes sure to visit each theme park and Disney Springs! From the start of the holiday season in November to Christmas Eve, he's ready to hear your wish lists. Details of his appearances for this year have yet to be revealed, but in past years, you can usually find him here:
- Liberty Square Gazebo at Magic Kingdom (during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party; daytime appearances start in early December)
- Odyssey Pavilion at EPCOT
- It's a Wonderful Shop at Hollywood Studios
- Restaurantosaurus at Animal Kingdom
- "Tropical" Santa at Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park
- Once Upon a Toy at Disney Springs (may need to join a virtual queue)
But jolly Old St. Nick isn't the only one to don a red suit! Santa Goofy makes appearances, even taking over for Santa Claus on Christmas through the end of the holiday season at Disney World. You can find Santa Stitch at both Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights. And Santa Duffy is a newer character, first appearing at Jollywood Nights and confirmed to return this year.
8. Gingerbread displays at the Disney Resorts
Deck the resorts with boughs of holly ... and gingerbread. Resort hopping is one of our family's favorite traditions during the holiday season at Disney World. Each Disney hotel, from Value to Deluxe, is dolled up with unique decor. However, many of the Deluxe Resorts get an extra sprinkle of holiday magic with extravagant gingerbread displays.
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort is home to the quintessential gingerbread house, complete with the Bake Shop filled with gingerbread treats. You also won't want to miss the gingerbread carousel at Disney's Beach Club Resort and the life-size gingerbread animals at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. For a full itinerary on how to best tour the resorts, leap over to our Holiday Hotel Hop post.
9. Seasonal treats across the resort
Christmas isn't complete without Santa's milk and cookies, and likewise, Disney World does not skimp out on seasonal treats. You can find a plethora of holiday food and drink offerings at Disney World across all four theme parks, resort hotels and Disney Springs. From gingerbread to peppermint, it's impossible to miss these festive flavors on special limited-time menus.
Some of the 2024 holiday foodie guides have not been unwrapped just yet. In the meantime, you can take a look at some of last year's offerings, including exclusive treats during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (did you know the party ticket includes free cookies and holiday beverages?!), Disney Jollywood Nights (includes the 2024 menu!) and EPCOT International Festival of Holidays. We'll update these posts once Disney reveals the rest of the holiday menus!
10. Merchandise perfect for holiday gifts
Whether you're secretly stashing your holiday gifts for later in the season or picking out a last-minute surprise, you can count on Disney to have something special for everyone in the fam. From ornaments and stocking stuffers to holiday spirit jerseys and Loungeflys, the holiday merchandise collections somehow get cuter and cuter every year. So start making your wish lists (and checking them twice)!
Current Disney World Deals and Bundles — Just in Time for the Holidays
If you're planning to visit Disney World during the holidays in 2024, Undercover Tourist has got you covered! You can now build your own Disney World vacation package that includes theme park tickets, a hotel stay and an optional dining plan to fit your budget. For a limited time, you can book a Hotel + Ticket vacation package. Plus, get a FREE Park Hopper upgrade for select stays from Oct. 6 to Dec. 25, 2024 — and that's on top of saving up to 35%!
If you only wish to purchase tickets, take advantage of Adult Tickets at Child Prices. Select tickets are valid for travel through Oct. 31, 2025. This deal is only around while supplies last.
Even if you plan to travel outside of these promo dates, Undercover Tourist offers everyday savings on tickets, hotels and vacation packages, meaning there's always a discount. And if plans happen to change, rest assured that Walt Disney World vacation packages are fully refundable up to 7 days prior to check-in when you purchase through Undercover Tourist (versus directly through Disney, which is refundable 30 days prior to check-in with a $200 deposit fee, which is no longer considered refundable 1-day prior to check-in). If not bundled, tickets are backed by a 365-day guarantee. Separate hotel stays are also fully refundable when canceled at least 7 days prior to check-in.
Plan a Holiday Vacation with the Frog Family
Just to show you how easy it is to build a vacation package, let's plan a vacation together! First, we started on our Vacation Packages page. Plug in your travel dates and the number of adults and children in your party, and hit the Check Availability button to see your hotel options first.
If you want to take advantage of the current deal, note that you'll only want to choose from the hotels that feature the special offer banner in light blue. For our vacation package, we selected Nov. 18-22, 2024, with two adults and two children for Leap, Tad, Lily and me. We saw we could save $730 by staying at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, so then we checked out the available rooms.
We chose a Water View room, which ended up saving us $851. Once you select your hotel and room type, it's time to move on to theme park tickets and optional dining plans.
On this next screen, there are three steps: 1) Select Your Ticket Type, 2) Select the Number of Days and 3) Add a Dining Plan (optional). With the current offer, you can upgrade your tickets to Park Hoppers for stays 4 days or longer — which we did! We opted for 4-Day tickets and added the Disney Dining Plan.
And of course, it's not a holiday vacation without Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party! So we added party tickets for two adults and two children on Nov. 19, 2024.
Overall, the total price for our vacation package (including the Disney Dining Plan) and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party tickets came to $6,600 with a grand total savings of $1,261.
We're giving the mic to you — what are YOUR favorite reasons to visit Walt Disney World during the holidays? Share in the comments below!
Related: Our Guide to Walt Disney World Holiday Events
Hoppy planning!
